Computer keeps shutting off after a few hours use

rae888 · Sep 19, 2013

I've never noticed what the temperature LCD reading on front of case is WHEN it happens but now days, at most is low 80s F. Right now its running at about 77-79 F.

I've checked and fan on CPU is spinning, All fans are working. And when this happens the hub on my USB port continues to get some power from the power supply because the little red light stays on even when computer is shut off. The little red light on the hub only goes out if I turn off the power switch on my power supply.

Built this computer in 2006. Everything else is working fine. I was wondering if it might be the APC Backup too. I was going to order a new power supply but would the power supply act like this if its starting to fail? Operate for a few hours, then shut down? Or does this sound more like CPU or motherboard?

I'm building a new one soon as I can so don't want to start buying new parts for an old computer without knowing WHICH part it is.

Is there any way to pinpoint the problem at work here?

Thanks in advance.

smorizio · Sep 19, 2013

Start with the cheap and simple. Open the case and blow the dust out and pick up tube of thermal paste and redo the CPU to rule out overheat. Use hardware monitor to check the cu...gpu...power supply outputs. If it not heat issue look for leaking caps on mb and in the power supply.

13thmonkey · Sep 19, 2013

PSU's age, i'd suggest that its a psu issue, as it gets warm it fails. what is the PSU and the rest of the specs.

Onus · Sep 19, 2013

Other than very basic checks such as the ones smorizio suggested, the absence of complete specs makes it essentially impossible to render a relevant suggestion. Please include the brand and model (not just wattage) of the PSU.
Do you see any swollen or leaking capacitors on the motherboard? Google "bad capacitors" for some images.

rae888 · Sep 19, 2013

How do I get my "specs" so I can post?

rae888 · Sep 19, 2013

13thmonkey :

This power supply was a Rose Will 500 W, purchased 2006. I have a list of my parts I got back then . Not sure is those are my "specs". Even tho I assembled this thing, I'm not that tek savvy.

Got this from my computer general tab:
Windows XP Professional SP 3
Computer:
AMD Athlon(tm) 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 5200+
2.61 GHz, 2.00GB of Ram

rae888 · Sep 19, 2013

smorizio :

I did clean it last week as it was getting so bad, sometimes wouldn't start. Man was it dirty!!
Blew it clean and then it at least started up.
I am not sure what you mean about re-doing the CPU with thermal paste. I'll google that.
I had ordered a new power supply and cancelled it thinking it wasn't power supply but after what ya'll are saying, I will go ahead and re-order that.
I was somewhat concerned if there would be a compatibility issue but I guess that's not much of a concern with a power supply? I will get a Rose Will 650 this time maybe.

So no chance its my battery backup causing this? Its old too.

13thmonkey · Sep 19, 2013

PSU issue, its not a good psu, it will have aged poorly, and is probably capable of 250W by now. your battery backup could be causing it, try plugging into the wall to isolate that problem. Please don't get another rosewill...

rae888 · Sep 19, 2013

13thmonkey :

Thanks. I was only ordering Rose Will only to try to keep everything compatible. So what would be best to get - around 600W that should be compatible with my stuff? I have full tower Antec aluminum case.

13thmonkey · Sep 19, 2013

what country are you in?

rae888 · Sep 19, 2013

13thmonkey :

USA - Va.
How bout this one:
Corsair Builder Series CX 600 Watt ATX/EPS 80 PLUS (CX600)

Onus · Sep 19, 2013

The Rosewill Capstone units are excellent PSUs, much better than the Corsair CX. What graphics card do you have? Your parts list is exactly what is needed.
The "Rosewill sucks" mantra is simply no longer true. Some of the older Rosewill PSUs, while not great, actually passed Jonnyguru testing (RP series iirc). While cheaper Rosewill units (e.g. the ones they put in their cases) destroyed their reputation, they've been rebuilding it. Beginning with their RG series, and continuing with Hive and now Capstone, all their current units have scored well in competent technical reviews.
The Corsair CX come in two flavors, non-modular (e.g. CX-500) and modular (CX-500M). Although they were all made by CWT for Corsair, only the modular ones use all-Japanese capacitors; the non-modular ones use inferior Samxon capacitors that don't like heat and are known for early failure. I would not put one of those in a gamer. How big a PSU you need is mostly determined by your graphics card, so please let us know what that is. Thanks.

rae888 · Sep 19, 2013

My Specs (From my invoice)
AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+ Windsor 2.6GHz Socket AM2 Processor Model ADA5200CSBOX - Retail , Item #: N82E16819103759
Brand AMD Series Athlon 64 X2 Model ADA5200CSBOX
CPU Socket Type CPU Socket Type Socket AM2
Tech Spec Core Windsor, Multi-Core Dual-Core , Name Athlon 64 X2 5200+
Operating Frequency 2.6GHz HT 2000MHz
L1 Cache 128KB+128KB L2 Cache 2 x 1MB
Process Type 90 nm Vista Ready Yes
64 bit Support Yes Hyper-Transport Support Yes
Virtualization Technology Support Yes
Multimedia Instruction MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, 3DNOW! Professional
Voltage 1.30 V/1.35 V
Cooling Device Heatsink and Fan included

GIGABYTE GA-M59SLI-S5 Socket AM2 NVIDIA nForce 590 SLI MCP ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail Item #: N82E16813128011

GIGABYTE GV-NX73T256P-RH GeForce 7300GT 256MB GDDR2 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail Item #: N82E16814125036
Model Brand GIGABYTE Model GA-M59SLI-S5 Supported CPU
CPU Socket Type Socket AM2 CPU Type Athlon 64 X2/Athlon 64 FX/Athlon 64
FSB 1000MHz Hyper Transport (2000 MT/s)
Chipsets North Bridge NVIDIA nForce 590 SLI MCP
Memory Number of Memory Slots 4×240pin
Memory Standard DDR2 800 Maximum Memory Supported 16GB
Dual Channel Supported Yes Expansion Slots AGP Slots None
PCI Express x16 2 PCI Express x1 2 PCI Slots 2 Other Slots 1 x PCI-E x8 slot
Storage Devices PATA 1 x ATA100 up to 2 Devices SATA 3Gb/s 8 SATA RAID 0/1/0+1/5
Additional RAID Controller GIGABYTE SATA2 controller
Onboard Video Onboard Video No
Onboard Audio Audio Chipset Realtek ALC888DD
Audio Channels 8 Channels
Onboard LAN LAN Chipset Marvell 88E1116
Max LAN Speed 10/100/1000Mbps
Rear Panel Ports PS/2 2 COM 1 LPT 1 USB 4 x USB 2.0 IEEE 1394 1 x IEEE 1394a
S/PDIF Out 1x Optical Audio Ports 6 Ports Onboard USB Onboard USB 6x USB 2.0
Onboard 1394 Onboard 1394 2x 1394a
Physical Spec Form Factor ATX Dimensions 12.0" x 9.6"
Features
Power Pin 24 Pin
Packaging
Package Contents GA-M59SLI-S5
User Manual
Driver Disk
Rear I/O Panel Shield
IDE/PATA Cable
FDD Cable
4 x SATA Cable
eSATA Cable
Power Cable
SLI Bridge
SLI Retention Bracket
SATA Extension Module

Rosewill RD500-2-DB ATX V2.2 500W Power Supply - Retail
Item #: N82E16817182044

CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400C4 - Retail
Item #: N82E16820145034
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy $276.00

Model Brand CORSAIR
Series XMS2 Model TWIN2X2048-6400C4
Type 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM
Tech Spec
Capacity 2GB (2 x 1GB)
Speed DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
Cas Latency 4
Timing 4-4-4-12
Voltage 2.1V
Heat Spreader Yes
Features EPP (Enhanced Performance Profiles) and also SLI certified

CORSAIR XMS2 Series TWIN2X DDR2 SDRAM
The cutting-edge XMS2 series DDR2 memory from Corsair provides the best performance and reliability solution for any DDR2 motherboard. The Twin2X modules are tested in matched pairs at very aggressive latency settings for optimum performance and compatibility.
DDR2 800
DDR2 800 delivers incredible performance and platform compatibility with up to 6.4GB/s memory bandwidth for the ultimate work and gaming power!

Enhanced Performance Profiles Enabled
Enhanced Performance Profiles, or EPP, enables advanced performance memory settings to be built into high performance memory DIMMs for even higher levels of overall PC system performance.
NVIDIA SLI Ready The NVIDIA SLI Ready mark means that components are NVIDIA-certified for full equipment compatibility to raise the bar for performance and functionality with the NVIDIA SLI ecosystem.

ZALMAN 9700 LED 110mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler - Retail
Item #: N82E16835118019

rae888 · Sep 19, 2013

(shorter version)

AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+ Windsor 2.6GHz Socket AM2 Processor Model ADA5200CSBOX - Retail;

GIGABYTE GA-M59SLI-S5 Socket AM2 NVIDIA nForce 590 SLI MCP ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail;

GIGABYTE GV-NX73T256P-RH GeForce 7300GT 256MB GDDR2 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail;

Rosewill RD500-2-DB ATX V2.2 500W Power Supply - Retail;

CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400C4 - Retail;

ZALMAN 9700 LED 110mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler - Retail;

Onus · Sep 19, 2013

A decent 300W PSU like one of the 80+ bronze Seasonics would be sufficient for your build.
Perhaps more usefully, your system is sufficiently old that parts could easily have begun to fail. Insulation dries and cracks, capacitors swell and leak (even the solid ones can crack too), contacts slowly corrode, etc. Unless it still works perfectly for what you need, I would suggest that it may finally be time to replace it.

13thmonkey · Sep 19, 2013

but that psu could form the foundation of any new system, therefore go for the 500-600W mark, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153166 this would give you more room and its a bargin

rae888 · Sep 19, 2013

Onus :

Thank you
Yes, I am replacing it. But I would like to keep this one going while I build the new one and have time to transfer all. So I didn't need 550W? I can still cancel that...

Onus · Sep 19, 2013

That old TR2 is overrated, inefficient near-junk.
If you ordered the 550W Rosewill Capstone, that's a good PSU, so keep it. It will indeed be usable in a new build later.
But if you'll need two PSUs, one for this system and one for a new one, I'd be surprised if your system draws even 200W. The graphics card doesn't need auxiliary power either. This one would do: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151085

rae888 · Sep 19, 2013

Onus :

Hi - I'm not sure which part you were referring to when you wrote " TR2 "

Onus · Sep 19, 2013

I was referring to the very low-quality PSU linked by 13thmonkey. It is NOT a good unit. In fact, with the exception of the Antec VP series and perhaps some Enermax NAXN units, any PSU with a little voltage switch on it today should be avoided.

rae888 · Sep 19, 2013

Onus :

Ahh, didn't see that before for some reason. Who do you think makes a good back up battery? APC or some other company ? I guess one would need the specs to know what size one needed but for my current one, do you have a suggestion? It seems APC is what everyone carries.

Onus · Sep 19, 2013

The last two UPS units I bought were Cyberpower APFC units. They have a waveform that is more like a true sine wave than many of the cheaper APC units. They therefor work better with new PSUs with Active PFC circuits. In fact, my Antec SG-650 will shut off, sensing bad power, when plugged into even a 750W APC UPS (unless it is a much more expensive true sinewave model); it works just fine on one of the Cyberpower units (I have two different sizes). Be aware that a UPS battery is probably only good for 4-5 years, depending on usage. They are typically replaceable, some more easily than others.

rae888 · Sep 19, 2013

Onus :

Thanks. I've had to replace these backups in past so was aware they don't last all that long. That is one reason I was thinking of getting a new one of those first before trying the internal PSU. This one I'm using now on this machine is at least 6 years old - maybe even 7 years actually. So I was thinking it could be that. I unplugged most of what was in there into other surge strips and have only computer, monitor and one other thing plugged in on that. I'm going to get a new one and rule that out first as the possible problem. If that isn't it, then will try the PSU. I really didn't want another APC. So I'll try one of these others you mentioned. How many watts/volts do you think I need? I have two printer, two phones, answer machine, desktop quick scanner, and a fax machine. Few other small things speakers clocks more phone extensions, etc. All doesn't need to go in there.

rae888 · Sep 23, 2013

Now its doing something else: It reboots without powering down. What does that tell you?
I got my power supply in today but am waiting on my cyberpower backup. Just wondering if the rebooting windows without shutting off completely indicates something?

Onus · Sep 23, 2013

Do the Windows Event Logs contain anything useful?

Computer keeps shutting off after a few hours use

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